Oklahoma Personal Injury Legal Blog
Oklahoma Launches New Anti-Texting While Driving Awareness Campaign
Texting while driving is a serious problem nationwide, and Oklahoma officials are cracking down to prevent car crashes related to texting not only involving teens, but for motorists of all ages within the state. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, over a dozen Oklahoma City high school students and safety advocates helped the governor launch an awareness campaign highlighting the dangers of texting and driving. The governor stated that about 700 Oklahoma car accidents, 30 of which were fatal, have involved a motorist who was either sending or reading a text message. Parents of teens lost in Oklahoma auto accidents also came out to show support and spread awareness of the tragedies that can happen because of drivers texting while driving.
Driver inattention is one of the most common causes of car crashes in Oklahoma and across the country. Taking one’s eyes off the road for even a split second can cause an accident with irreparable damage and alter the lives of all motorists involved in a crash permanently. Serious injuries such as brain damage, broken bones, amputation, nerve damage, disfigurement, burns and death can all occur due to an Oklahoma car accident caused by texting while driving.
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Oklahoma Insurance Bad Faith Claims: What to Do if You’ve Got One
People purchase insurance coverage in order to protect themselves in the event of an accident or situation that could yield costly medical bills, property damage expenses and other unforeseen monetary losses. Consumers expect that their claims will be handled fairly and that the expenses they incur in these types of situations will be covered by their insurance. However, sadly, this is not always the case.
Insurance companies are in the business of making money and may try to settle claims for less than the amount that is actually owed or covered in the insurance policy. This occurs frequently is cases of Oklahoma auto and truck accidents. Insurance adjusters are paid and promoted based on how little payout the company has to make, therefore, the insurance companies may try to low ball or deny claims altogether, citing fraudulent or false reasons for their decisions. When a policy holder’s trust is violated and they are not treated fairly by the insurance company, this is called “bad faith”.
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Broken Arrow Motorcyclist Collides with Hay Bales, Injuries Not Serious
A motorcyclist was exiting the Muskogee Turnpike into the westbound lanes of the Creek Turnpike when he crashed into some hay bales that had accidentally fallen from a semi-truck, according to NewsOn6.com. Luckily, the motorcyclist was wearing a helmet and was reported in stable condition. The state trooper who arrived at the scene cited the driver of the semi-truck with not properly securing the load. The article states that the motorcyclist was only thrown five feet, which could mean that he was already slowing down to attempt to avoid the bales when the Oklahoma motorcycle accident occurred.
Thankfully, no serious injuries were reported by either party involved in this Oklahoma motorcycle crash; however, that is not always the case in motorcycle collisions. Oftentimes, motorcycle crashes leave the motorcyclist with serious or even fatal injuries since they are not protected by the metal exterior like occupants of a passenger car or large truck are. In addition, according to the American Motorcyclist Association, motorcycle helmets are only required for persons under 18 years of age in the state of Oklahoma. With fewer people wearing helmets, serious injury is more likely to occur.
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Over a Quarter of a Million Eggs Recalled in 8 States, Oklahoma Included
Cal-Maine Foods has voluntarily recalled about 288,000 eggs which may have been contaminated with salmonella, according to The Los Angeles Times. The company issued the recall after a routine sample tested positive for the bacteria. At the time the article was written, no cases of salmonella infection linked to the recalled eggs had been reported. Citations were issued by the FDA.
When a person contracts the bacteria salmonella enteritidis, they may experience symptoms similar to the flu, such as nausea, fever, vomiting, headaches and chills. In more severe cases or in those with weakened immune systems, gastroenteritis or typhoid fever may develop, which can be fatal.
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Sand Springs Community Bands Together after 2 Teens Die in Car Accident
Two Oklahoma high school students were killed in a fatal car crash on Sunday, October 24 according to The Sand Springs Leader. The 16-year-old driver of a 2001 Mercury Cougar was heading east on 61st Street South when, for an unknown reason, the vehicle didn’t stop at a stop sign. Also in the Cougar were two 15-year-old passengers and one 14-year-old passenger. Heading north on 161st West Ave. was the 20-year-old driver of a 1998 Dodge Dakota. Upon entering the intersection, the pickup truck struck the second vehicle on its right passenger door. The two 15-year-old female passengers were killed.
Depending on what the investigation concludes, the parents of the deceased high school students may be able to hold the auto maker, the brake manufacturer or a third party liable for wrongful death in Oklahoma if it is found that the brakes were defective in some way. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2009, there were 30,797 fatal crashes resulting in 33,808 deaths. Of those fatalities, 738 occurred in Oklahoma.
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Toyota Issues New Recall for Brake Problems; Honda Joins Recall
Earlier this month, Toyota announced a new recall of over 1.5 million vehicles for brake problems, according to CNN.com.
Toyota is recalling 740,000 Lexuses, Avalons, and Highlanders in the United States, and over 1.5 million internationally. Honda also announced the recall of an undisclosed number of Acura RL and Honda Odyssey vehicles for brake problems.
According to Toyota, the recall occurred because it is possible for a small amount of brake fluid to leak from the brake master cylinder. This leak could cause the brake light to come on. If the problem is not repaired, the driver will notice the brakes are “soft” and eventually the brakes will be unable to stop the vehicle. Toyota claims the problems originate from using non-Toyota brake fluid.
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Sand Springs Community Bands Together after 2 Teens Die in Car Accident
Two Oklahoma high school students were killed in a fatal car crash on Sunday, October 24 according to The Sand Springs Leader. The 16-year-old driver of a 2001 Mercury Cougar was heading east on 61st Street South when, for an unknown reason, the vehicle didn’t stop at a stop sign. Also in the Cougar were two 15-year-old passengers and one 14-year-old passenger. Heading north on 161st West Ave. was the 20-year-old driver of a 1998 Dodge Dakota. Upon entering the intersection, the pickup truck struck the second vehicle on its right passenger door. The two 15-year-old female passengers were killed.
Depending on what the investigation concludes, the parents of the deceased high school students may be able to hold the auto maker, the brake manufacturer or a third party liable for wrongful death in Oklahoma if it is found that the brakes were defective in some way. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2009, there were 30,797 fatal crashes resulting in 33,808 deaths. Of those fatalities, 738 occurred in Oklahoma.
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Two Pedestrians Hit Separately at Oklahoma City Intersection
Two women who were attempting to cross a highway in Oklahoma City three hours apart were both struck by vehicles, according to NewsOK.com.
Around 7 a.m. on October 8, a woman in a wheelchair was crossing Martin Luther King Avenue south of NE 23 in Oklahoma City when she was hit by an SUV, who stopped at the scene. The woman died at the hospital from injuries sustained in the fatal Oklahoma pedestrian accident.
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Toyota Claims Sixty-Five Percent of Accelerator Recall Work Completed
Earlier this month, Toyota announced that it has already completed 65 percent of the repairs required under its recall for sudden acceleration problems, according to The New York Times.
The Toyota recall of six million vehicles began in November and January. Dealers have repaired 3.7 million of those vehicles. Toyota is still receiving about 150 complaints of sudden vehicle acceleration each week, but that number is drastically down from 800 per week only six months ago.
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New Study Shows How Often Certain Surgical Errors Occur
A new study was recently published in the Archives of Surgery that attempted to determine how often certain types of surgical errors occur, according to Time.com.
The study looked specifically at wrong-site, wrong patient or wrong-procedure errors, such as a surgeon amputating the wrong limb, operating on the wrong patient or mistakenly removing a gallbladder instead of an appendix. The authors of the study looked at data from a liability insurance database with claims from January 2002 to June 2008.
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